Storing your bike securely should sadly be one of your first thoughts when planning on bringing a bike into your life. When it comes to sensible bike storage ideas, you’ve got to strike a balance between two things: security and practicality.

If you have a garage or shed, or even a spare room in your house it becomes much easier – these are obviously the most ideal solutions because then all you need to think about is a hanging unit. 

It can be a tricky issue to solve, especially if your N+1 situation has gotten out of hand, or you’ve managed to turn your partner and kids into cyclists as well… now you’ve got a whole hoard of bikes to store. 

Indoor wall mounts

Indoor mounts come in various shapes, sizes and designs. One of the most common storage designs is a wall mount, usually attached to a wall via some screws and then your bike will ‘hang’ on the wall. Some of them are a small piece of material that your front wheel slots into, some consist of three or more parts and your bike will attach in three places – sometimes; both wheels and a pedal and sometimes the top tube will be held on the mount and your bike will ‘dangle’. Here are a list of recommended mounts. 

• Clug
• Chol1 Indoor furniture storage for bikes  
• Topeak two up bike stand 
• Cycloc Endo Wall Mounted Bike Holder
• Relaxdays garage indoor pulley bike storage
• HIPLOK airlok secure bicycle hanger

However, we can’t all be that lucky and space drunk unfortunately, so let’s look at other storage ideas. Outside spaces will also need some sort of security.

Storage solutions for outside should be well thought through, something that is solid enough to not fall apart in bad weather, or be destroyed easily by potential burglars and will keep your bikes dry so they don’t go rusty. 

It will likely take you down to the option of some sort of portable bike shed – these will be your safest option. 

You can of course leave your bike outside locked to something – with a VERY strong lock, and covered by a minimum of tarpaulin, and preferably in your rear garden so it’s not visible on the street. However, we would always recommend trying to try and use some sort of shed for best safety. 

However, it is good to note that lots of house insurance policies won’t necessarily cover your bike if it’s locked up outside, due to it not being secure – make sure to check with them before you test it out. 

Insurance policies also often request you to use a gold standard lock to secure your bike, whether it’s in a garage or outside locked to your fence/gate etc. The lock will likely need to be a ‘Sold Secure’ padlock – a heavy duty lock. 

The lock required will vary depending on the value of your bike, so make sure you check. However, Wiggle sells an array of Sold Secure gold and silver locks here. Something like these: 

• Kryptonite Evolution Series 4 
• Hiplok gold wearable chain lock 
• Kryptonite Evolution Mini 7
• Kryptonite New York STD Nyl lock and flex-frame bracket

Sheds:

Sheds are a great bike storage idea, with some popular choices including:

• Asgard sheds are great, but a little spenny.
• Amazon has many different options for bike sheds and covers. 
• Ebay has sheds like these – Keter Store It Out Pro Outdoor Storage Shed
• ManoMano – metal sheds at a smaller cost 

There are various options for smaller sheds out there, you can also often get them second hand. It’s definitely worth scrolling eBay, Facebook Marketplace and any other free sites or selling sites for a bargain. 

We would also recommend not only locking the shed but putting a bicycle lock on your bike to deter thieves. Something like a big heavy Kryptonite D-lock. These locks can then also be used when you’re out and about and need to lock your bike up. 

Bike storage ideas for limited space 

If you’re living in a flat in the city and your storage is very limited, there are safe parking spaces for bikes. You’ll still need to purchase a heavy duty lock – better safe than sorry. The storage is usually some form of container on the street, or in any area they have space and it locks. Check out the link here to find your local one in London and have a google for your local city parking.